AZTECS HEAD-TO-HEAD

SDSU’s offense vs. Eastern Illinois’ defense

Aztecs: Running back Adam Muema is rested and ready to go, and could open his junior year with a big show against what might be a questionable Panthers defense. Also take this opportunity to advance scout SDSU’s receivers. In the fall scrimmage, Colin Lockett stretched the field and looked like he had struck up a strong connection with QB Adam Dingwell. Now it’s time to prove that they can do it in a real game.

Panthers: Eastern Illinois returns eight starters from a 2012 defense that gave up an average of about 265 passing yards per game. That’s good for a No. 112 ranking out of all 121 FCS schools. Translation: Unless this group has made stratospheric progress in the offseason, they will likely struggle against the pass again. And it doesn’t help at all that three of the four starters on the defensive line are new. Yes, DT Dino Fanti, DE Timotheus Granger and DT Jon Voytilla all saw some playing time last season, but new is new, you know?

Edge: Aztecs

SDSU defense vs. Eastern Illinois’ offense

Aztecs: The Aztecs will have a much better pass rush this year, which will be fun to watch against quarterbacks such as the Panthers’ Jimmy Garoppolo, who’s not going to win any track meets. But this will be a good test for SDSU’s cornerbacks. J.J. Whittaker and Pierre Romain are likely to make their first collegiate starts, and this will be the first true test of how they hold up against a passing spread.

Panthers: This offense can score points. Period. QB Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 3,823 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2012, and his top receiver, Erik Lora, set a FCS single season record with 136 receptions, and had eight 100-yard receiving games last year. They could do some damage against SDSU’s green cornerbacks. The Panthers lost four of their top five receivers from 2012, but will try to restock with promising sophomore Keiondre Gober and Jeff LePak, a Baylor transfer who had to sit out the 2012 season.

Edge: Gap is closer in this category, but Aztecs anyway.

Special teams – SDSU vs. EIU

Aztecs: Punter Joel Alesi and kicker/kickoff specialist Wes Feer both beat out sophomore Seamus McMorrow for the opening game. Feer doesn’t have McMorrow’s leg, and he isn’t going to kick it out the end zone on every shot, but if he sticks to the game plan and places his kicks where they are supposed to go, the Aztecs should be fine. Also, watch for the Aztecs to maybe debut Colin Lockett and speedy freshman D.J. Pumphrey side-by-side on kickoff returns. Lockett has 1,455 career return yards and needs only 50 more to break Monty Gilbreath’s 24-year-old school record for career kickoff return yardage.

Panthers: The Panthers can be tricky on special teams. They have a variety of different formations on kickoffs and also have a penchant for pop-kicking the ball short so that one of the opposing team’s bigger guys has to pick it up. Expect to see this against SDSU. Every team that has ever watched film on the Aztecs would find it in their best interests to keep the ball away from Lockett – who has three career kickoffs returned for touchdowns.

Edge: Panthers.

Coaching:

Aztecs: Rocky Long’s defense should do well against the Panthers as long as their conditioning level holds up. On the other side of the ball, even though SDSU’s new offensive coordinator is known for his innovative offensive schemes, don’t expect Bob Toledo to reveal too many tricks in this game. With Ohio State on the horizon, it’s in the Aztecs’ interest to keep a couple of cards up their sleeve. They’ll probably manage with a fairly standard game plan against the Panthers.

Panthers: Dino Babers pretty much pulled a Brady Hoke in his first season at Eastern Illinois in 2012. Under his steady hand, the Panthers went from last to first in the Ohio Valley Conference in the span of a year. You can’t underestimate that. Babers brought the Panthers’ spread offense principles with him from Baylor, and everyone has seen what that offense can do with the right personnel. Still, can the new receivers execute as well as the old ones did? And will the defense have improved from 2012?

Edge: Aztecs

Intangibles:

Aztecs: Home opener. Skyshow Game. Potentially a good student turnout since it’s early enough in the evening to maybe draw the pre-party crowd. Plus, the Aztecs come in on a high, ready to defend their Mountain West championship. The energy level has been off the charts all offseason, they’re not going to start flat in this one.

Panthers: For a lot of these guys, it’ll be their first time in California, and their first time playing in a pro stadium on the road with 50,000 in the stands. It’s a big game against a good team. They know they’re the underdogs, and they know the offense needs to really start strong against SDSU’s vaunted defense. Will they rise to the occasion or wilt under the pressure?